I recently asked about having my coating re-applied, and the folks at the eye place had a warranty system, where if it came off inside of two years, they’d strip and re-coat the lenses. Might call them to find out if you’re covered, or of they can tell you the stripping method.
If the lenses are plastic acetone will fuck them up.
Alcohol would, too. Further, avoid mineral spirits and petroleum based solvents entirely.
Alcohol has never affected my plastic lenses.
There are some plastics it affects, I’ve just never seen it affect glasses. Notably, the eyeglass cleaner kits at eyeglass shops are alcohol based.
Alcohol will affect acrylic/plexiglass, but its not necessarily a fast reaction. I don’t know what specific plastic glasses lenses are made of. Also, the UV coating might protect them from the alcohol.
Pulling this straight out of my ass but I think it’s likely to be polycarbonate
I worked in optical it’s polycarbonate. Can be a plastic called cr39 or it could be a high index lens if they have a very high prescription generally alcohol won’t hurt it. If the frame is plastic the alcohol could potentially fog the plastic.
Makes sense, given alcohol comes in plastic bottles
The glasses cleaner my optometrist gives me is alcohol-based. It won’t do anything to the lenses.
It won’t dissolve the coating either, fwiw.
Nah they’re glass, besides, I tested acetone on a small spot and it did nothing to remove the coating
If it is anything like the polycarbonate lenses on cars, it will take extremely tedious polishing, and then you’ll have continuous issues with yellowing because polycarbonate is not UV stable.
With my auto body shop, I sanded the lenses to 2000 grit and used a polyurethane clearcoat. However, typical automotive clearcoats are not optically perfect. It does not matter with an automotive headlamp, and 99.9% of people will never see the optical properties unless I pointed them out specifically. That said, coatings like automotive clearcoats are designed to adhere to very specific types of substrates. What I was doing was WAY outside of the intended use. I doubt any of the lenses I clearcoated lasted more than 3-5 years as a result.
The PITA part of clearing lenses like I was doing with headlights is that ALL of the old coating must be removed first. If I didn’t sand off every last bit of that coating, it was very noticeable in the final outcome. I had some tricks, but it is not possible to use course grades of sandpaper that would make fast work of it situation but require a primer to level in a typical body shop situation. This meant I had to start with 1k grit. That takes FOREVER to sand through a coating like what headlamps have.
Sanding anything like this is not compatible with optical precision lenses. I have also played with telescopes and building my own eyepieces while also dreaming about grinding my own mirror for a large dob. Optical precision in lenses is OP insane levels. I don’t have the vocabulary to express just how tiny the difference is between good, okay, and absolute trash in optics.
Combining my experiences in these areas, there is absolutely no chance that you’ll be able to polish or abrade then polish an optical lens and yield an acceptable outcome. No matter what you try, the coating will abrade/polish at a different rate than the exposed sections of the underlying polycarbonate lens. This will always result in an uneven surface at optical quality kinds of levels. You would need a sanding block capable of matching the contour of the lens perfectly so as to only abrade away the coating section before contacting the lens.
While clearing headlamps, I had one of two tricks. If all I was doing is shooting the lenses, I would mix my clear without any additional reducer (special solvent) and with a fast catalyst. This required special gun settings and higher pressures to avoid orange peal textures. If I was mixing clear for other panel work, I had to do a few misting passes with clear in between my other panel work. The thin misted coating limits the exposure of the underlying polycarbonate to the solvent present in the clear. If I did a regular wet pass like I would with a panel, the lens would react to the solvent and looked like a shattered windshield.
I don’t know of anyone else that has ever clearcoated headlamps like this. While my work may not have lasted as long as a typical clear, it was a far better solution than polishing, which reoxidizes within a few weeks and worse with the increased exposed surface area after each polishing. For higher end cars, dealers would just pay me to install reproduction headlamps from LKQ, as these will last like the originals or better.
Those are the basics of what I know. I shared as an abstract way to help you understand the scope of what I know, and what you should expect based on this tangentially related expertise. I do not believe you can be successful at removing that coating. In automotive paint, it is not possible to just remove a clearcoat from any surface chemically without impacting the deeper substrate.
Wow, great info, lots of detail. I’d enjoy watching you work!
I have worked in optical, that coating is the anti-reflective coating that is coming off. You cannot take that coating off. It is baked on. Harsh chemicals will destroy the plastic lenses. It just degrades and comes off after a while, generally if it is less than 2 years they should be under warranty.
The really annoying thing is that these coatings used to be optional paid extras, and when I got some new lenses for the first time in almost a decade they quickly became blotchy and awful so I went back to get some more but this time with zero coatings.
Specsavers told me that’s wasn’t possible, that ALL lenses have these coatings now, it’s not even optional.
Glasses lenses used to last years and years, now they’re blotchy crap after only 3 or 4 years. Bloody ghets know what they’re doing. And ripping us off while they’re at it with their high prices £££
I’ve had pretty decent luck ordering prescription glasses from the big online glasses retailer, you know the one, starts with a Z.
I still gotta pay $100 for glasses but that’s way better than the $400 they cost retail.
These coatings are optional extras you were lied to. They may put an anti scratch, but, an anti-reflective coating is optional. They may just make it a mandatory add on to boost their profits. The lenses I have are about 4 years old. They are scratched to shit because they are plastic, but, no coating coming off. They use plastic because it’s easier to make, cheaper for you and way lighter. You can request glass if you want. Glass gives you better clarity, better scratch resistance, but, if you drop them they could shatter. They will also be a lot thicker.
Thankfully it is glass, I may just have to take this to an optometrist and see if they can do it for me
Just curious what country are you in? If you’re in the USA why glass? I’m in the US and default material is plastic.
I don’t think that’s the default material, I’ve been moving around the US since 95’ getting glasses in each state once a year when I was still on my parents insurance and every time I just get normal glass.
That might just be your provider or something
Lol I was in the business for 10 years. Cr39 or polycarbonate is the most common material. There is a high index, I forget what the material is, for higher prescriptions because you can get the material thinner. Glass isn’t very common, it’s more expensive, it’s heavy, it’s thicker, and it’s fragile. I’m not saying you don’t have glass, it’s just not the most common material. Very possible there was a notation made on your script by the optometristic telling the optician you need glass and that may be why you’ve had glass this whole time.
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I’ve had good results removing the coating with armor etch, but be warned that the uncoated plastic lens are now more prone to scratches. I was able to extend the life of my glasses about 6 months before I got annoyed with the microscratches building up, was able to save up for a new pair.
Next time ask your lenses without. Mines are the same, I have a new prescription & just told the shop “no”. No anti-blue, no ant-reflection, no nothing, just the hardest material available.
Antiglare coating is a must for me. There’s a reason it’s used on lenses in cameras; it enhances contrast, and for purely aesthetic reasons, makes it easier for others to see your eyes, making you look better.
High index plastic is also great IMO, it significantly reduces the thickness and weight of the lenses. Also aesthetically, it reduces the distortion of the sides of your face when someone’s looking at you. It is not the hardest material available, and I believe the higher the index, the less hard they are. My lenses are typically completely scratch free for a year or two, getting only minor scratches after that.
I’ve never had an issue with coatings. I clean my glasses with hot water and Kimwipes (laboratory lint free wipes). I don’t use any lens cleaners or any other cleaning products. I never dry wipe my lenses.
Hot water and excessive heat from cooking can crack the coating.
I haven’t read the manual but I don’t think you’re supposed to cook your glasses.
I’m not taking about boiling, just hot out of the tap. It helps gently heat the lenses so they dry faster after being wiped.
I buy my glasses cheap off the internet and wear em till they are broken. They last me years and I’ve never had any coatings come off like this.
I am now super curious if it’s something OP did, or if it’s a processing error (maybe technician put the coatings on in the wrong order) or what.
Not really related to the post but how was the process of getting them off the internet? The cheapest price I can get would run me around 200USD for the whole deal: eye exam, new lenses and the specific frames I want. Hell if I can save money though I’m willing to try online
I also got them online, Zenni, think I got away with $70 or so
Pretty easy honestly. Pick the frames you like, enter in your prescription, choose lens options like transitions/anti glare then pay and you get em in a couple days to a couple weeks depending.
Just like anything else shop around - some of the “cheap” online places still charge a ridiculous amount.
Name brand doesn’t mean much either - for example - generic transition lens coating works just as well as the name brand stuff for most applications for a fraction of the price.
Thank you for the insight I’ll check it out
I find glasses online are about half the price of a local place. $500+ locally, about $250 online for the same thing. Progressives drive most of the cost.
If you can get am exam locally for a good price, you’re good to go. Just make sure they include the PD - Pupillary Distance, they sometimes don’t, though it’s part of your prescription and they’re required to supply it.
Awesome thank you so much for the information I’ll shop around to see if I can get a deal on just the exam locally
I thought I have been pretty careful with them, I did accidentally go swimming in saltwater with them but they were untouched once I realized and sprayed with purified water after, this was also after I realized the coating was coming off but it probably didn’t help
Unfortunately that wasn’t an option at Walmart the last time I got glasses. I wanted to go to my old eye doctor instead of Walmart, but that was during the COVID lockdown shit and I would have had to wait like 3 months.
Sigh, this coating shit sucks ☹️
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Yes, a catastrophy. I never had lenses degrade so fast, and we’re talking expensive Zeiss stuff with medical coverage.
That was my first “no” here, never again.
In the future, I highly recommend using Kimwipes to clean off your lenses day-to-day. They’re little papers designed to wipe off lab equipment without leaving any scratches or residue, and you don’t need to spray them with any cleaner either. Just a dry wipe until the lenses are clean. If I’m careful about how I use them, a wipe can be reused 2-3 more times before disposal.
Since I started using them, I’ve never had problems with the antiglare coating coming off.
Half of the picture is blurry, put them back on!
Toothpaste with hydrated silica might polish it off with enough elbow grease. Should be gentle enough to not fuck with the polycarbonate lens itself. I’ve done it with success but the toothpaste I used was an institutional brand and not really fit for putting in one’s mouth.
Commercial toothpaste with hydrated silica would be marketed as “microbeads” or some such.
A paste of baking soda and water on cotton balls worked well for me, albeit tedious.
Hi Costco glasses guy, I see you.
Use a sandpaper
Soooo…the TP at my work?
Look at me, I have free toilet paper at work.
I mean, it might legit be more comfortable to wipe with a pinecone or stinging nettle. So take that humble brag as you will, but sometimes the grass isn’t cushier on the other cheek.
You degenerate 3rd world people still using paper to smear poop all over yourself. We here in modern world have water that washes away our poop.
Yeah, used to love bidets, then I sat down drunk and accidentally nudged it full blast full cold. The hemorrhoids I got the next day were brutal. So now I use tp cause the worst that can happen while drunk is I need to wash my hand a bit more thoroughly than usual…
Reading glasses or regular?
Regular
Ah, that sucks, I’d suggest to get some of the shelve as an emergency solution, but I know some countries don’t sell negative diopter lenses without a prescription. The issue is that polishing out those scratches even if it’s just the coating can change the lenses diopter value even by a tiny amount. This can lead to distortions or blurriness even if it looks perfectly smooth. Ask around some opticians, maybe they have a cheaper plastic replacement lenses or they can polish them out professionally for a fee. I know this sucks but I wouldn’t mess around with this on my own, it can damage your eyes in the long run.
You fix it pretty easily by just getting the lenses entirely replaced. If you have vision insurance, you can do it entirely for free
Does someone willing to strip off the coating of their glasses sound to you like someone who has vision that allows for more than one pair of glasses a year?
How often do you replace your glasses? (Just curious, since you mentioned replacing yearly).
My last pair started peeling at 5 years, and I needed a new script by that point anyway.
Usually I don’t need to more than 4 years in a row, I guess this is the first time I got this coating, this was from Zenni too, guess I got what I paid for
https://opticalresourcedotcom.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/poly-safe-ar-stripper-8oz.pdf
It looks like they all use HF or ABF. Super dangerous if it gets on your skin or in your lungs.
https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/hydrofluoricacid/basics/facts.asp
Some tire and wheel cleaners are HF based, I’d try that.
Oh well good thing it’s not breaking off into a powdery substance near my nose and mouth
He’s taking about the strippers not the AR coating itself.
Ah I see my mistake
